Bottom feed sheet stacker



June 6, 1961 A. c. MONAGHAN BOTTOM FEED SHEET STACKER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 11, 1959 K INVENTOR.

4LFRED c- MON/16x14 BY awjmwym June 6, 1961 A. c. MONAGHAN 2,987,314

BOTTOM FEED SHEET STACKER Filed May 11, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

fll F250 c, Mon/0 44M BY United States Patent LO 2,987,314 BOTTOM FEED SHEET STACKER Alfred C. Monaghan, Union, NJ., assignor to Universal Corrugated Box Machinery Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 11, 1959, Ser. No. 812,182 6 Claims. (Cl. 271-74) This invention relates to the art of stacking equipment and more particularly to a bottom feed stacking machine for box blanks.

As conducive to an understanding of the invention, it is noted that where box blanks are successively discharged to form a stack and the blanks are discharged one on top of the other, the top most blank successively discharged into the stack is likely to skew with the result that the stack becomes uneven, making it diflicult to be handled by a workman removing the complete stack.

It is accordingly among the objects of the invention to provide a sheet stacking equipment, which is relatively simple in construction and will dependably form a stack from box blanks successively discharged thereon with assurance that the box blanks will remain in alignment to facilitate removal of the completed stack.

According to the invention these objects are accomplished by the arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter described and more particularly recited in the claims.

in the accompanying drawings in which are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the equipment with parts broken away,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of a roller mount,

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on a smaller scale taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the back stop, and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 3 taken along line 66 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings as shown in FIGURES l and 2, the sheet stacker comprises a substantially rectangular frame 11 which has parallel upstanding end and side walls 12, 13 and 14, *15 rising from its bottom plate 16. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 3 the frame is reinforced by a cross beam 17.

Extending transversely between the side walls 14 and 15 of the frame adjacent the upper edge 20 thereof near end walls 12, 13 respectively are elongated pulleys 18 and 19. The pulley 19 is mounted on a shaft 21 journalled in suitable hearings in the side walls 14, 15 and is driven by a suitable motor (not shown). The pulley 18 is mounted on a shaft 22 which extends through openings 23 in side plates 24 straddling the ends of the pulley 18. The shaft 22 also extends through an elongated opening 39 in each of the side walls 14 and 15 and through a hearing 25 mounted on an associated block 26.

Each of the blocks 26 hasa plurality of bores 27 therethrough at each corner thereof to receive a bolt 28 which extends through a corresponding elongated horizontal slot 29 in each of the walls .14 and 15 and coacts with correspondingly threaded openings 31 in the associated side plate 24. A pair of blocks 32 and 33 straddle the bearing block 26 and are longitudinally spaced therefrom. The block 32 carries a spring 34 which reacts against the edge 35 of the bearing block 26 and the block 33 carries an adjustment screw 36 which reacts against the edge 37 of the bearing block 36. Thus by adjustthrough openings in each of the ends of thecasing 61 and ment of the screws 36 associated with the bearing blocks 7 26 on each of the side walls 14 and 15, the longitudinal position of the roller '18 may be adjusted to adjust the tension on the conveyor belt 41 encompassing the rollers 18 and 19 as shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 3 the upper and lower runs 42 and 43 of the belt 41 are substantially parallel, with the upper run 42 lying in a plane slightly below the upper edges 20 of the side walls 14 and 15 of the frame.

The belt 41 is perforated as at 46 and straddles a vacuum chamber 47 extending transversely across the frame between the side walls thereof and substantially the length of the frame. More particularly as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the vacuum chamber comprises a bottom wall 48, end walls 49 and a side wall 51. The top wall 52 of the vacuum chamber is preferably formed from a plurality of parallel bars 53, which are spaced from each other as at 54, the upper run 42 of the conveyor belt 41:

To this end as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a conduit or housing 61 is provided, which is secured to the side wall 14 of the frame and which extends over the elongated opening 56 and over a plurality of enlarged ports 62 in said wall 14 beneath said opening 56, the casing 61 forming substantially an air tight cover with respect to said;

opening 56 and said ports 62.

Positioned on the inner side of side wall 14 beneath the lower run 43 of the conveyor belt 41, are suction blowers 64 the exhaust sides of which are secured to said ports 62. Thus when the suction blowers are energized by a suitable motor (not shown) suction will be created in said chamber 47 through ports 62, housing 61 and opening 56. Consequently, suction will also be applied through the spaces 54 between the bars 53 and through the perforations 46 in the conveyor belt 41.

Extending transversely across the frame 11, is a bar 71, the ends 72 of which ride on the upper edges 20 of the side walls 14 and 15 and extend outwardly beyond the latter as shown in FIG. 4. The bar 71 is positioned beneath the upper run 42 of the conveyor belt 41 and said bar has a rounded top surface 73 over which the said upper run 42 will ride.

Afiixed to the ends 72 of the bar 71 are arms 75 which To this end, as shown in FIGURE 1, a sprocket Wheel.

81 is rotatably mounted on each of the side walls 14, 15 of the frame adjacent the upper edge 20 thereof and near the end wall 13 on one side of the housing 61. A shaft 82 extends transversely across the frame between the end wall 49 of chamber 47 and pulley 18 and adjacent the upper edge 20 of said side walls 14 and 15. The shaft 82 is rotatably mounted on said side walls and carries a sprocket wheel 83 at each end, a hand wheel 84 being provided on said shaft for rotation thereof.

Riding around each of the sprocket wheels 81, 83 is a sprocket chain 85, the lower run 86 of which extends Patented June 6,

Secured to the upper ends 76 of the' 3 the upper run 87 of which extends over the top wall of the casing, the ends 72 of said bar 71 being secured to said sprocket chain. Thus upon rotation of said hand wheel 84 the position of said bar 71 along the length of wall 12.

The angle beam 89 serves as a support for a back stop 93. As shown in FIGS. 1, and 6, the back stop 93 comprises an angle beam 94, the horizontal leg 95 of which rests on the horizontal leg 96 of the angle beam 89. Depending from the front edge of the leg 95 is a ledge 97 which coacts with the edge 98 of leg 96 of angle beam 89. Secured to the vertical leg 101 of the beam 94 are blocks 102, each of which has a depending lip 103 adapted to extend parallel to the vertical leg 104 of beam 89.v Each of the lips has a threaded opening in which a set screw 105 is mounted so that upon rotation of the set screw the back stop will be securely clamped to the angle beam 89.

Extending transversely between the blocks 102 is a rod 108 which serves as a support for side gauges 109. As shown in FIG. 5 the side gauges each comprises an L-shaped bracket 111, the lower edge of the vertical leg 112 of which is bifurcated as at 113 to straddle the rod 108, a set screw 114 being associated with said leg securely to clamp the bracket to said rod. Secured to each of the horizontal legs 115 of the bracket 111 are arms 116, the ends 117 of which are flared outwardly in opposite directions.

In the operation of the stacking unit, the gauges 109 are adjusted along rod 108 depending upon the size of the box blanks to be stacked and are locked in position by tightening set screws 114.

The bar 71 is moved along the frame 11 by rotation of handwheel 84 so that it is spaced from the back stop 93 by a distance such that with the leading edge 121 of a box blank B abutting against the wall 101 of the back stop 93, the trailing edge 122 thereof will extend rearwardly of the bar 71 and be vertically spaced from the upper run 42 of the belt 41, as shown in FIG. 6.

With the blowers 64 energized, suction will be applied to the chamber 47 and to the perforated belt 41 which is rotating in a clockwise direction referring to FIG. 3.

When box blanks are successively fed between the driven rollers 123, they will be discharged onto the belt 41. By reason of the suction applied to the belt 41, the blanks will be securely retained thereon and advanced by the moving belt over the bar 71 and beneath the spring fingers 78 until the leading edge 1 21 of the first box blank 13' abuts against the back stop 93 assuming the position shown in FIG. 6. Thus the trailing edge 122 of the blank B will be spaced from the belt as the bar 71 will break the suction to such portion 122 and the resilience of the blank will cause it to move away from the belt.

Thereupon, the leading edge 124 of the next box blank B" will be advanced by the belt 41, beneath the trailing edge 122 of the box blank B and as such second box blank is retained against the suction belt 41, it will be advanced until its leading edge 124 abuts against the back stop, 'thus moving beneath the preceding box blank B.

As such preceding box blank B will be restrained from movement by reason of the suction imparted thereto tween the gauges 109 and such preceding box blank B will be so'restrained until the next blankB has almost reached the back stop 93 by reason of the suction; im-

' parted to the leading edge 121 of blank B.

a through the belt 41, it will remain properly aligned be- 4 will be formed, the latter being fed from the bottom thereof.

By reason of the suction imparted through the belt 41, and by reason of the spring fingers 78 and the gauges 109, a stack will be formed without dislodgement of any of the individual blanks, so that it may readily be removed from the belt when it has reached a desired height.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is;

1. A bottom feed sheet stacker comprising a frame having an elongated pulley mounted at each end, a perforated conveyor belt encompassing said pulleys, said conveyor belt having an inlet at one end and a back stop at the other end, means to advance said conveyor belt,

a vacuum chamber between the upper and lower runs of said conveyor belt, said chamber having a top wall on which the upper run of said belt rides, said top wall having openings therethrough, means to create a suction in said chamber, to retain successive sheets against said conveyor belt, and a bar spaced from the back stop and extending transversely across said frame beneath the upper run of said conveyor belt to space the associated portion thereof from the top wall of said chamber and to discontinue suction at such associated portion, whereby when the leading edge of such sheet abuts against said back stop the trailing edge of the sheet will be spaced by said bar from said belt to permit the leading edge of the next sheet advanced by the belt to be moved beneath the trailing edge of the preceding sheet and to be advanced by said belt beneath the preceding sheet until its leading edge abuts against said back stop.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which means are provided to adjust the longitudinal position of said bar on said frame.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2 in which the upper edge of said bar in cross section is curved.

4. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which said frame has parallel side Walls, the ends of said bar ride on the upper edges of said side walls, and means to elfect movement of said bar along said upper edges to adjust the longitudinal position of said bar on said frame.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4 in which a sprocket wheel is mounted on each of said side walls near each end thereof, a sprocket chain rides around each pair of sprocket chains, the ends of said bar are secured to each of said sprocket chains and means to advance said sprocket chains'inunison to adjust the longitudinal position of said bar on said frame.

6. The combination set'forth in claim 4 in which an arm is secured to each end of said bar and extends upwardly therefrom, a rod extends transversely across said frame and is secured at its ends to the upper ends of said arms and a plurality of spring fingers are affixed'at one end to said rod and extend at right angles therefrom, the frele ends of said fingers normally reacting against said bet.

References Cited the file of this patent 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS" 2,339,268 

